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Route Planning

The latest (May, 2012) BMC bicycle maps are now available. If you didn’t get one during Bike to Work Week, they should soon be showing up in your local bike shop if they aren’t already there. If you’d like, you may also download a high-quality PDF of the map HERE, but note that it is a 4.2-MB download.

Through the discussion board, any user may make posts to either share or request bicycling routes. We hope that other users will then share their experience. Well-established routes will then be added to this website as blog entries under the Routes Category (Categories are listed on the left side of this website, but here’s a direct link as well: LINK).

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21 Responses to “Route Planning”

susan marcottesaid

I am looking for a route from LaPorte (Pine Lake area) to the Studebaker museum area and past the Chocholate factory. The route should be no more than 60 miles round trip. I would consider a remote start in a park to make it between 40 and 60 miles.

Adam Beesaid

Yeah, I think you’d be much better at it than I would, Jim. This is actually a tougher request than I’d anticipated– I’ve never ridden on a lot of those roads. I rode down to southwest SB last nite to scout out some routes, only to find that they’re a bit difficult to come by.

Thanks a ton! I’ll be interested to see what you come up with.

susan marcottesaid

Jim: Thanks for your offer to help. We will be up in the area at Amishland and Lakes Bike Ride in early August and are planning on going over to LaPorte to ride some routes we think will be okay. If you have suggestions for the South Bend ride would really like to meet up with you and see what you have come up with.

It was suggested that we do a remote start at a park near SR 2 and Timothy road to make it a slightly shorter route and maybe have a longer route from LaPorte for mileage junkies.

Paul Taylorsaid

susan marcottesaid

Jim: I was able to look at the maps on Bikely and they certainly look like they have potential without actually riding them. The chocolate factory was one of the places we would like to go, is Sample street not a safe street to ride?

Also, is there a way to get “cue sheets” for the routes you put on the site. I really am not familiar with using Bikely.com.

Thank you for your suggestions and help. We are planning on being up there in a few weeks to check out suggested routes.

Susan: I’ve never rode Sample, personally I like riding lower traffic streets. Ford Street parallels Sample for much of the length and is a designated bike route. I’ve updated the Bikely routes with notes that I believe may help to create those cue sheets.

susan marcottesaid

Paul and Jim: We went to LaPorte this weekend and checked out your routes in South Bend to La Porte. Both routes look great, in fact we are planning on using both so that people get different perspectives each way. We decided to remote start the ride at Bendix Park since we could connect the two routes on County Line RD and Timothy. I am sure there will be some who want the “whole ride experience” so we will provide the longer versions from LaPorte as well.

susan marcottesaid

Judy: Are these maps the same as the Bike Michiana Coalition map only updated from 2009? If they are would it be possible to get 30 copies for the attendees at the midwest tandem rally post tour to be held in Sept 2010? Thanks to the help from others on the post I think we tentatively have figured out our circular route from Bendix park to South Bend via Chocholate factory and museums. Now to get to Notre Dame if desired.

We do have money budgeted to pay for the maps if there is a charge. Sue Marcotte

susan marcottesaid

Judy: In re reading your post I realize you think I am in the area, but in reality I live at the other end of the state by the Ohio River. So the maps would have to be mailed or I could arrange to pick them up when we come up there at the end of the month. Sue

Paul Taylorsaid

Have you tried the bike options on Google Maps? Google does a surprisingly good job of routing you on bicycle friendly roads. I had Google find bike directions from Chesterton to US 20 & Pine Road. The routs Google found look quite good.

Bensaid

I did try that, if I remember correctly, it had me on either Rt. 2 or US20 for a while and I was trying to stay off the heavier traveled roadways. I was hoping to put together some sort of combination of the routes they have through LaPorte County because I can get to there, and then look at the Eastern portion.